Pedestrian transport conveyor installations

ABSTRACT

A variable speed passenger conveyor comprising a multiplicity of rhomboid shaped platforms mounted in slidable relation to each other along their contiguous sides.

United States Patent Tonkin [54] PEDESTRIAN TRANSPORT CONVEYORINSTALLATIONS 72 Inventor: Stephen w. Tonkln, Bristol, England [73]Assignee: Dunlop Holdings Limited, London, En-

gland [22] Filed: Feb. 10, 1970 [21] Appl.No.: 10,184

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb. 21, 1969 Great Britain..9,611/69 [52] U.S. Cl ..l04/25, 198/16 MS, 198/110 [51] Int. Cl ..B65g17/06 [58] Field ofSearch ..l04/25; 198/16MS, 110,181

[451 May 23, 1972 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,580,1825/1971 Bouladon ..104/25 3,242,876 3/1966 Berggren 104/ 1 34 3,315,6124/1967 Reid ....104/25 3,238,893 3/1966 Zuppiger ..104/25 PrimaryExaminer-Drayton E. Hoffman Assistant Examiner-D. W. KeenAttorney-Stevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher [57] ABSTRACT A variable speedpassenger conveyor comprising a multiplicity of rhomboid shapedplatforms mounted in slidable relation to each other along theircontiguous sides.

8 Claims, 6 Drawing figures PATENTEnmAYzs 1912 3664.266

sum 2 or 2 wait PEDESTRIAN TRANSPORT CONVEYOR INSTALLATIONS Thisinvention relates to conveyor installations for conveying loads from onelocation to another. It is particularly, though not exclusively,concerned with passenger conveyor installations and is an improvementover the conveyor disclosed in US. Pat. No. 3,580,182 of May 25, 1971.

A disadvantage of conveyors is that the speed at loading, and unloading,positions must be kept down to a low minimum. For example, in existingpedestrian conveyors, they normally run for their full length at about1.5 mph. as this is considered to be the approximate maximum transitionspeed to or from stationary ground that a person having a belowaverageagility can manage. This means that the time taken to travel betweenstations is relatively high.

In conveyors for freight and similar goods, for safety reasons and toavoid damage, it is necessary to restrict the speed of the conveyor atloading and unloading positions.

To permit an increase in the speed of travel it has been proposed toprovide accelerating and decelerating feeder conveyors which enablestransition to be made to or from a main high-speed conveyor, while atthe same time maintaining the transition speed at an acceptable value.

A feeder conveyor generally comprises a series or plurality of treads,or platforms, which move along tracks and are so arranged that thetreads move at a high speed adjacent the main conveyor and then slowdown and enter a zone where they travel at a relatively low speed. Froma zone of relatively low speed the treads speed up until they are movingadjacent the main conveyor.

In the present invention each tread or platform is of rhomboid shapehaving opposite sides and opposite angles equal, two angles being acuteand two obtuse, each tread extending only part-way across the width ofthe feeder conveyor with its longer diagonal extending generally in adirection parallel to the length of the high speed conveyor, adjacenttreads being slidably interlocked one with another along all adjacentedges.

The shape of the treads or platforms and the slidable interlockingenables the feeder conveyor to be disposed substantially in one plane,with acceleration and deceleration areas leading to and from the mainconveyor and on the same side of the conveyor. Installation is thussimplified. Also, if the main conveyor is full or potential passengerschange their minds, it is possible to remain on the feeder conveyor andcontinue back to a deceleration zone.

A particularly useful shape is a diamond (i.e. a rhombus), all thetreads or platforms of equal size and shape. In the present arrangementthe treads or platforms are interconnected by upward and downward facingtongues and grooves interfitting to prevent lateral separation ofadjacent treads while permitting relative sliding.

The invention will be understood by the following descrip tion of anembodiment, by way of example, in conjunction with the accompanyingdiagrammatic drawings, in which FIG. 1 shows a plan view of a feederconveyor having accelerating and decelerating portions positionedbetween a pair of high-speed main conveyors moving in directionsopposite to each other;

FIG. 2 shows a comer of the feeder conveyor of FIG. 1 in more detail;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a single tread;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the tread shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a section through the interlocked edges of two adjacent treadsshowing the upward and downward facing tongues and grooves; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic cross-section on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1illustrating a support means for treads.

Referring to FIG. 1, a feeder conveyor 1 positioned to travel round acentral island 2 serves a pair of high speed conveyors 3 and 4. Stairsor escalators 5 and 6 provide access to the island.

As shown in FIG. 2, the feeder conveyor 1 is built up from a number ofdiamond shaped treads or platforms 7 which are able to slide relative toeach other so as to form low speed sections 8 and 9, high speed sections10 and 11, intermediate or accelerating sections 12 and 13, andintermediate or decelerating sections 14 and 15.

Each tread 7, as shown in FIG. 3 is provided with a pair of upwardlytongued and grooved edges 16 and 17, and a pair of downwardly tonguedand grooved edges 18 and 19. The tongues and grooves of all adjacentedges of adjacent treads engage with each other to prevent lateralseparation but allow sliding of one tread relative to another.

Depending from the center of the undersurface of each tread is a spigot20 which acts as an axle for a horizontal wheel 21 which runs in aguideway beneath the treads. There are a number of guideways extendingalong the endless path which each tread or group of treads has to followaround the conveyor circuit. The guideways are indicated in FIG. 2 bythe chain-dotted lines 31, 32, 33 and 34.

The treads 7 are driven by means of drive pulleys (not shown) and chains22 (FIG. 6) which engage with the spigots along the straightconstant-high-speed sections 10 and 11 of the conveyor circuit. Themethod of engagement between the chain and the spigots may vary and isnot illustrated in detail. For example, upstanding pins on the chain mayengage in holes in the ends of the spigots or the spigots may haveextensions for engaging with the chain. The important requirement isthat easy engagement and disengagement can occur. A shallow trough 23beneath the treads houses the drive mechanism and provides a ducting forthe supply of pressurized air to the undersurfaces of the treads. Theair acts on the undersurfaces of the treads or platforms, throughperforations 24 in the top surfaces 25 of the trough 23. The treads willaccordingly be raised slightly above the surfaces 25, thereby reducingfriction in the system.

As the band of treads forming the feeder conveyor presents a saw-toothedge along its sides adjacent the main conveyor, it is preferable toform a similarly toothed edge to the main conveyor so that no gap existsbetween the feeder conveyor and the main conveyor. A separate toothedbelt may be used to fill the gap, however, in which case the mainconveyor may be straight sided. The separate toothed belt would extendalong the length of the feeder conveyor and would be doubled underneathitself along its return path.

It will be seen that in the straight high-speed sections 10 and 11 thetreads 7 are arranged symmetrically corner-to-corner with their shorterdiagonals in alignment across the width of the conveyor band, which isnarrow in those high-speed sections. As the treads 7 leave the end of astraight high-speed section 10 or 11 and are guided by the guidewaysinto the decelerating sections 14 or 15, they will slide relatively toone another without rotation, changing their pattern and forming into aband of increased width, accompanied by a corresponding deceleration toa reduced speed, until they enter the section 8 or 9 of constant lowspeed where they are again arranged symmetrically corner-to-corner butwith their longer diagonals in alignment across the width of theconveyor band. Similar sliding motion and changing pattern of the treadscreates the acceleration in the sections 12 and 13 leading back into thehigh-speed sections 10 and 11. The treads are not driven through theirspigots 20 while they are outside of the high-speed sections 10 and 11,and their movement through the accelerating and decelerating sectionsand the low-speed sections is produced entirely by the action of theirinterconnected sliding edges through which thrust from thepositivelydriven treads in the high-speed sections 10 and 11 istransmitted. In this way a constant-speed positive drive can bemaintained in the high-speed sections 10 and 11 and will produce therequired varying speeds of travel in the remaining sections of theendless path of the conveyor.

In the illustrated arrangement in which the treads are all of equalrhomb shape (i.e. each has four sides of equal length), and are arrangedwith their longer diagonals always parallel to the direction of movementof the main high-speed conveyors 3 and 4 of the high-speed sections 10and 11, the ratio of the constant velocity of the feeder conveyor in thelow-speed sections 8 and 9 to the constant velocity in the high-speedsections 10 and 11 is equal to the ratio of the shorter diagonal to thelonger diagonal of each tread or platform which ratio may convenientlybe about 1:7; giving the possibility of a low speed of about 1.5 m.p.h.in the sections 8 and 9 where pedestrians step on and off the feederconveyor from rest, accompanies by a high-speed in excess of 10 mph. inthe sections 10 and 11 equal to that of the main conveyors 3 and 4.

It is considered, however, that a feeder conveyor may be constructed outof rhomboid-shaped tiles, whose adjacent sides are not of equal length,giving the possibility of an assymetrical conveyor path in which thelow-speed sections do not travel at right-angles to the high-speedsections. Further, forms of support other than by air, can be used. Forexample, the treads or platforms can move over support frames, havingrollers or balls.

What we claim is:

1. A load carrying conveyor including a low speed section, anintermediate acceleration section and a high speed section, comprising:

a. a plurality of rhomboidal platforms;

b. guide means for the platforms;

c. drive means for moving the platforms;

(1. edge formations on each platform to interlock adjacent platforms soas to allow only relative sliding between said adjacent platforms;

e. the guide means maintaining the orientation of each platform suchthat its longer diagonal is kept substantially parallel to the length ofthe conveyor;

f. the platforms positioned to extend across the low speed section inend-to-end relationship and subsequently extend across the high speedsection in side-by-side relationship whereby in the intermediate sectionthe width of the conveyor is changed to allow for the change in speed.

2. A conveyor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the platforms have all theirsides of equal length.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the platforms are supportedby pressurized air.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the drive means for movingthe platform comprises means extending for at least part of the highspeed section.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the drive means comprises achain engaging with projections on the platfonns.

6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 including a support structureincluding a trough extending beneath the platfonns, means for supplyingpressurized air to the trough whereby, in operation, the pressurized airacts on the underside of the platforms to support them.

7. A passenger carrying installation comprising a high speed mainconveyor and a passenger loading and unloading system comprising atleast one feeder conveyor providing acceleration and decelerationsections, the feeder conveyor comprising; a plurality of platforms eachof rhomboid shape, each platform adapted to extend with its longerdiagonal extending sub-stantially in a direction parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the main conveyor; formations on the edges of theplatforms for slidably interlocking the platforms together whereby theplatforms can slide relative to one another and thereby vary the widthof the feeder conveyor; means for driving the high speed section of thefeeder conveyor at a predetermined speed; and guide means for theplatforms, whereby the guide means controls the sliding of the platformsrelative to each other to provide a narrow high speed section, a widelow speed section and intermediate sections of varying width and speed,the high speed section of the feeder conveyor moving alongside the mainconveyor.

8. A passenger carrying installation as claimed in claim 7, wherein theplatforms have their sides of equal length.

1. A load carrying conveyor including a low speed section, anintermediate acceleration section and a high speed section, comprising:a. a plurality of rhomboidal platforms; b. guide means for theplatforms; c. drive means for moving the platforms; d. edge formationson each platform to interlock adjacent platforms so as to allow onlyrelative sliding between said adjacent platforms; e. the guide meansmaintaining the orientation of each platform such that its longerdiagonal is kept substantially parallel to the length of the conveyor;f. the platforms positioned to extend across the low speed section inend-to-end relationship and subsequently extend across the high speedsection in side-by-side relationship whereby in the intermediate sectionthe width of the conveyor is changed to allow for the change in speed.2. A conveyor as claimed in claim 1 wherein the platforms have all theirsides of equal length.
 3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein theplatforms are supported by pressurized air.
 4. Apparatus as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the drive means for moving the platform comprises meansextending for at least part of the high speed section.
 5. Apparatus asclaimed in claim 4, wherein the drive means comprises a chain engagingwith projections on the platforms.
 6. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1including a support structure including a trough extending beneath theplatforms, means for supplying pressurized air to the trough whereby, inoperation, the pressurized air acts on the underside of the platforms tosupport them.
 7. A passenger carrying installation comprising a highspeed main conveyor and a passenger loading and unloading systemcomprising at least one feeder conveyor providing acceleration anddeceleration sections, the feeder conveyor comprising; a plurality ofplatforms each of rhomboid shape, each platform adapted to extend withits longer diagonal extending sub-stantially in a direction paralleL tothe longitudinal axis of the main conveyor; formations on the edges ofthe platforms for slidably interlocking the platforms together wherebythe platforms can slide relative to one another and thereby vary thewidth of the feeder conveyor; means for driving the high speed sectionof the feeder conveyor at a predetermined speed; and guide means for theplatforms, whereby the guide means controls the sliding of the platformsrelative to each other to provide a narrow high speed section, a widelow speed section and intermediate sections of varying width and speed,the high speed section of the feeder conveyor moving alongside the mainconveyor.
 8. A passenger carrying installation as claimed in claim 7,wherein the platforms have their sides of equal length.